Part 25 – Compromise

Everything felt so perfect in this moment; L was here, alive, and I was wrapped securely in his strong arms. Even without questioning how and why, everything seemed to right itself, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling I never thought I'd experience again. L was alive… here… with me.

Just as soon as I realized that I had almost just hit the man I thought was dead with a wooden rolling pin, I must have also forgotten how to breathe. I felt my weak knees give out on me, and it was with a content, protected feeling that I sank slowly into darkness.

*******

I could tell that I was awake, but I was too tired to actually make the effort to get up. I lay there, on what I assumed to be the living room couch, my tired thoughts buzzing around in absently in my mind. Shifting slightly, I realized that my entire body was sore, and I inwardly groaned. 'Great,' I thought, 'Just what I needed, to get sick. Haven't I been through enough?' I yawned quietly, willing myself to fall back asleep. I could sense someone's gaze as I lay there, and then everything came back to me.

"L?!" I sat up quickly, my thoughts racing. I heard a low chuckle from behind me and turned around.

There, sitting on the couch to my left, was L, the ghost of a smirk upon his pale face. He sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, his raven black hair hanging untidily over his perpetually wide eyes. When my gaze met with his, he raised a thumb to his mouth, his amused expression turning apprehensive. I stared at him wonderingly, millions of questions begging to be asked. But instead I sat there, being content in the face that I was once again able to get lost in his dark eyes. I could feel the space between us, and wanted to curl up next to him and wrap my arms around his thin waist.

Without moving or taking his eyes off of me, he said, "You know, if someone had truly broken in with the intent to cause you harm, I don't believe a rolling pin would stop them."

Just hearing his matter-of-fact voice again made me grin like an idiot, "Next time I'll use a mallet."

"Your fist certainly did well, I must say."

It was then that I pried my gaze from his and noticed a purple bruise just under his jaw; it was such a contrast to his pale white skin it was a wonder I hadn't noticed it before.

I clapped a hand to my mouth, "I'm so sorry!"

L half-grinned, keeping his eyes focused on my face. I had so many questions to ask him, but didn't know where or how to begin.

"Why are you here?" I blurted out suddenly, deciding it was best just to ask.

With his thumb still pressed to his lips he said, "To be with you, of course."

I flushed in embarrassment, "No, that's not what I meant. How are you here?" I tried keeping my voice steady as I whispered, "I watched you die… There's no way you can be here."

L's voice seemed quieter, too, when he said, "Not everything's as it seems, love."

He stood up from the couch and moved to sit beside me, and I said, "I've heard that before. In a dream…" I looked to the young detective now sitting less than a foot away from. His dark eyes bored into mine, and something clicked together in my slightly dazed thoughts, "That's what this must be. A dream."

That made perfect sense; although, are dreams normally this realistic? And since when did I start having decent dreams? For the past few weeks I'd had nonstop nightmares, which contributed to the lack of sleep I'd been getting.

My gaze traveled to L's, and I felt a jolt of electricity run through my veins, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around the young man. I knew that this was a dream, it had to be, and I knew that once I woke up I'd be a complete mess, but currently I didn't care. This dream could go on forever and I wouldn't mind. It was better than obsessively cleaning the apartment at any rate…

"This seems to be a rather good dream, thought," I mused to the dreamt up L, "There's been no dying, yet."

It was an awkward thing to say, and I saw L look at me in concern, "And there will be no longer."

My heart fluttered at this, and then I looked away. "You can't know that. When I wake up, you'll be gone. It happens every time. Although, usually, you're already dead by this point." I thought about that for a moment, and then added, "So, maybe I won't wake up. I like this better."

There was a moment's pause, and L said quietly, "I can assure you that you're awake, Adelynn."

I shook my head, "It's either that I'm asleep, or I'm dead. Although if the latter is the case, I'm sure I'd be haunting Light, and not just sitting here."

"Adelynn." I turned to face L, whose expression was slightly angered, "You're not asleep, and certainly not dead." He took my face in his hands to that I had no choice but to look right at him.

"Sure, sure." I murmured, wanting to believe him but not quite able to. He sensed this, and it looked as if he were about to smile.

He brushed the tips of his fingers along my cheek, and wrapped one of his long arms around my waist. Resting his forehead against mine, he kissed the tip of my nose, a grin tugging at his lips. "Perhaps a certain amount of persuasion will do the trick?"

I gulped, "Persuasion?"

L kept his dark eyes trained on my face as he leaned down slowly towards me, and I felt my heart rate speeding up before he even reached me. He ran a hesitant hand across my cheekbone, and rested it on the side of my neck. His hand was cold compared to my rapidly heating up body, and I shivered from his touch. He grabbed my legs and shifted our bodies so that he was lying on top of me, gaze still unwavering from mine. He brushed his lips over the tip of my nose, and then kissed the corner of my now-trembling mouth.

His nose skimmed my jaw line, and rested just under my ear, where he playfully licked, chuckling from my sharp intake of breath. He moved his face back so that I was staring into his bottomless eyes, and he carefully lowered his lips to mine. It felt like my body was on fire, every rapid beat of my heart sending another electric jolt through my veins.

L had one hand pinning my arm to the couch and the other was moving slowly down from my neck, roaming freely down my side. He smirked again when I let out a ragged breath, unable to get the needed oxygen to my deprived lungs.

It was then that I realized that this couldn't be a dream; I had to be awake, if I could feel like this and completely register that fact. I smiled and wrapped my free arm around his neck, pulling him closer to me. I could feel every curve of his body against mine, every touch leaving a lingering tingling sensation running through my body. I almost protested when he pulled away, but I saw the concern in his eyes as he said, "Please don't cry."

I blinked, confused, and realized that I really had been crying, and my eyes stung as I blinked to clear them of the evidence. 'Damn delayed tears,' I thought, and grinned apologetically. I raised a slightly trembling hand to wipe them away, and then sighed.

"I think I believe you now," I breathed, heart hammering rapidly. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he silently chuckled, and gently wiped away the remnants of my tears. My hands still shook as I reached up and brushed away the midnight black bangs hanging over his onyx eyes. Ever observant, he stated,

"You haven't been getting much sleep."

There was no use denying it, and I shook my head slowly. With an unreadable expression he stood up and held out his hand. After a hesitating moment I took it and also stood up, realizing just how weak my knees were as I stumbled forward into his open arms. Seemingly effortlessly he swooped down and lifted my legs off the floor, holding me to his chest. I flushed slightly and looked up at him, noting the apparent amusement in his eyes.

L walked with me towards the bedroom, dropping me lightly on the bed and sitting in his usual awkward position next to me. He placed one hand on the small of my back, and the other he lifted to his mouth, chewing on his thumbnail in thought. I felt my face growing red as his gaze never left my face, and mentally kicked myself for being so easily embarrassed.

"You're blushing." He noted, and I looked away.

"I suppose I am." I muttered, and felt even more flustered when L lifted the hand that wasn't on my back to turn my face towards his.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," he murmured, pitch black eyes boring into mine, "It looks quite beautiful, actually."

I tried to keep from grinning like an idiot, but the familiar way his words made me feel made me fail miserably. "I missed you," I stated, grinning goofily.

"I missed you, as well." He replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "Watari was beginning to feel quite disheartened at my lack of productivity. He compared me to a lost puppy dog, actually."

I couldn't help but laugh at the mental picture, and then said excitedly, "Watari? So he's okay? Where is he?"

L grinned at my reaction, "Yes, he is alive and well. And he's currently in England, at the Wammy's House orphanage. Am I correct in assuming that you're already aware of this establishment?"

I nodded, thinking back to the note he'd left me, "You mentioned something about your successors being there. I figure that it was a place they raised talented kids, like you."

"You could certainly put it that way." L answered, and pulled me in to kiss just under my jaw. There was a question that I'd wanted to ask, but couldn't remember what it was when his hands tangled in my hair, holding me steady as his lips moved silently at the base of my collarbone.

My heart felt as if it was about to explode from the joy and relief I was feeling, but then the impossibility of the situation began to sink in once again.

"L…" I whispered, mentally scolding myself when my voice trembled slightly.

L heard this and pulled back, laying one hand on the side of my face. "Yes?"

I took a deep breath to steady myself and tried to focus on what I was saying, not the eway his intense gaze never seemed to falter and his long fingers traced small patterns into my back. My voice was surprisingly strong as I began, "This is all so surreal… How can you be here? I saw you… die. And Watari, he was dead, too." L looked as if he was about to reply, but I interrupted him, earning a slightly resentful look from the detective, "You've been gone so long… It feels like at any moment you're just going to disappear again."

This silenced his previous answer, and he removed his one hand from my back and brought his thumb back to his lips, chewing thoughtfully on the nail. I could tell he was trying to pick his words carefully, and the thumb of his other hand rubbed nervous circles into my cheek.

"Adelynn, I don't believe myself capable of leaving your presence for so long ever again," He rested his forehead against mine, "And without you, I'd certainly be dead now."

"What?" I murmured, unable to see how I'd ever been able to help him.

"If you hadn't warned me of the meeting between Light and Rem, then I would've played right into his hands. But as it so happens, now Light is playing into mine." There was a smug smirk on his face, and I blinked in confusion.

"I still don't follow."

L nodded, obviously trying to figure out an easy way to word his explanation, "After you left the day you'd told me of their meeting, I went to speak with the shinigami, Rem." I shivered involuntarily at the memory of her, and L wrapped his arms protectively around my waist.

"Where is the shinigami? We all figured she was dead; she disappeared after you… died."

L tightened his hold on my waist and said, "I'll get to that." I nodded in response. L had a blank expression on his pale face as he said, "Rem admitted that she was aiding Light as a way to protect Misa from being arrested and executed, and so was planning on writing my name into her notebook. But by killing me to lengthen Misa's lifespan, Rem herself would have died. So this led to a compromise: she'd spare our lives and in turn she'd live and protect Misa from the side-lines."

I realized that throughout his explanation I'd been holding my breath, and I exhaled slowly. "Wow," I said quietly, "Why does Rem want to protect Misa so much?"

I looked up into L's eyes as he said, "Because Rem loves Misa." He paused for a moment, and began in a slightly softer voice, "Love makes us all do things we normally would not do."

I had to restrain myself from saying something foolish in response, and asked, "So… you won't be arresting Misa?"

L closed his eyes, "No. Even though she is the second Kira, she's being manipulated most disgustingly by Light. And once he is caught, I will be sure her memories of her involvement will be erased from her life. Rem wants Light to be caught as much as we do, and will assist us if necessary."

I still felt as if I were missing something about this explanation, but disregarded it. Instead, I asked, "Then what was with the scene in the lobby?" I refrained from telling him that I'd fallen apart as I'd held his supposedly dead body in my arms, because I had a feeling that he already had a general idea of why I'd asked.

But with the way his impossibly wide eyes hardened, I knew he was silently beating himself up. I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck, and smiled when he raised one hand and stroked my hair gently.

"Are you familiar with Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet'?" He asked suddenly, and I nodded. Who hadn't? L continued, "The poison Juliet uses to fake her death slowed down her pulse and made it seem as if she were truly dead. If you remember correctly, then you'd recall that I placed a large amount of sugar in my coffee cup that day?"

I smirked, although confused, and said, "Yes. You always do."

L silently chuckled and rested his cheek on my head, "Watari and I had arranged it so that the very poison Juliet used was in that sugar, and I'd drink it at the time I deemed correct. And so, when the lights went out, our plan went into effect, and made it seem as if the shinigami had killed Watari and me."

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to blink back tears. I was so stupid! Why hadn't I thought of that before? With a sudden comprehension, I knew that he really was here, and I wasn't having some sort of nervous breakdown. I hugged him tighter, and asked, "What about your bodies?"

The question might not have made sense in normal conversation, but L replied automatically, "Some contacts at Wammy's House helped arrange a swift departure from the funeral home." He didn't go into specifics, but I was fine with that.

"Is that where you've been staying?" I felt L nod in response. I knew then that he'd stayed away for those few weeks after his supposed 'death' because he didn't want to mess things up and reveal his existence once again until he knew everything was safe. I felt slightly irritated, but let it go. At least he was back.

There was silence for a while then, and I realized that I'd been unknowingly crying again when I felt the tears begin to stain the white cotton fabric of his shirt.

He looked down at me in concern, and kissed away the annoying tears. I grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm just so… happy that you're alive." 'Happy' was the understatement of the year, and I felt my heart begin to pound erratically when L brushed his lips lightly against mine.

"Don't apologize," he said softly, his dark eyes holding a certain pain in their depths, "If it weren't for you, I'd have nothing to live for. And… I'd be dead right now, which means that I owuldn't be able to see the demise of the bastard who has caused you so much pain."

I gave a watery chuckle, still teary-eyed, and leaned up to hug his neck and whisper in his ear, "I love you."

I felt him tense up in surprise, and bit my lower lip, waiting to see his reaction. A few long seconds passed, and he turned my face gently towards his. There was an indefinable excitement in his eyes, a raw happiness that seemed to make all traces of worry vanish from his face as a genuine smile lit up his features. "I love you, as well." He said softly, and crushed his lips to mine.

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A/N: How'd you all like the story of his survival? Review please! I'd love to see what you all think :3 The last few mini-paragraphs made me want to swoon. Hehe. ^^

KaiSea- ^^ There's so many ways I was going to bring him back, so I hope you find this one acceptable. If you ever needed help, I'd gladly help you. Are you going to post your story soon? I don't believe you have it up yet…? Heh, Misa. She's a fun character. I was going to just make her a complete fool, because I dislike her to a large extent, but I figured I'd keep her at least slightly intelligent. Haha.

The Blonde One- That was my favorite part of the last chapter; I would've loved to see her hitting him with a rolling pin. Either him or Light. Or both. Haha. What'd you think of this chapter?

Neon Knightly- Sorry this took a bit longer than was expected; but I hope what happens makes up for it! :3

tHePuNkPriiNcEzs- It seems a lot of people were worried. ^^ Hopefully you like her reaction?

your little shapeshifter- Wooden rolling pins! Yay! Hehe, I had to put it in there. I think I may draw a picture of it, too. :D Did you like this one as much?

Miss. Patty-Cake Joy Dazzel- L is in loooooove! Haha.

Miorochi- I know! I was so excited. Did you like this explanation?

Orohippus- Sorry. I love misleading people, even though it ticks me off when I'm tricked by a story, too. ^^ I'll try to keep the trickery to a minimum from now on –crosses fingers behind back- :D

crazyasian12- Sorry this wasn't up very fast; but I'm glad that everyone's so happy L's back!

Midnight Mel- I don't mind the swearing; I'm a pretty avid swear-er myself. Hehe. ^^ I'd love to see L kick the crap out of Light. You know, that may just happen. We'll see. –insert shifty ninja eyes here- Adelynn may take her anger out on Light, too… :3

Jillian Jiggs- Glad you're so happy he's back! ^^ Your review made me giggle. :D

Marisol Akyri- Did you like these answers? I really hope so

Review please! I'm not certain where this will be heading as of yet; but I do have a general idea, and once I get writing, I'll probably get some more ideas. But if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to PM me! ^^

Before I forget; I was thinking about switching this story's rating from 'T' to 'M'. Tell me what you all think of this! I've never written a lemon or anything of the sort before, so I'm kind of on the borderline about it. And it could be weird writing it in first person, too. But if enough of you want to see one, and agree with the rating change, then I will do it. ;D

-Sydney